Erling Haaland scored twice as Ipswich Town were beaten 3-2 by league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

City, playing their first home league game since they were found guilty of serious financial breaches by the Premier League, recorded a seventh straight victory to start the campaign for the first time in their top-flight history.

Both previous instances of a side winning their first seven league matches in the Premier League era — Liverpool and Chelsea — have gone on to win the title.

Phil Foden opened the scoring for the home side after 19 minutes, but Daizen Maeda struck his first Blues goal almost instantly to get Gary O’Neil’s side back on level terms.

Haaland then notched either side of half-time to set City on their way, taking his total to 15 club goals so far this season and making it six in just three career appearances against Town.

The Norwegian superstar was denied a treble by VAR late on, before Zian Flemming came off the bench to strike from the penalty spot and set up a grandstand finish.

It proved to only be a consolation, as the Blues fell to a fourth league defeat of the season in spite of a spiriting performance in Manchester.

The Suffolk side return to action next Friday with the visit of Nottingham Forest under the lights at Portman Road.

WHO ELSE?

Unsurprisingly, it was Town that were doing all the defending in the early stages as Rúben Dias and Nico O’Reilly became the first home players to test busy goalkeeper Christian Walton.

His first significant stop came after 17 minutes when Dias let fly from distance, which the Cornish custodian did well to beat away on the stretch to his right.

While the Blues had held their own until that point, the deadlock was broken only two minutes later when the returning Foden struck his first goal in 10 months.

The lively Jérémy Doku broke down the right and drifted into the penalty area, where his low ball into the centre was met by Foden to find the net despite Walton getting a glove on it.

Many inside the Etihad would have been expecting that to set the tone for the afternoon, but Town silenced the crowd with a surprise equaliser only 155 seconds later.

Abdoul Ouattara, who scored a stunning first goal for the club last weekend, turned provider when his terrific pass into the channel from the touchline was raced upon by Maeda.

From there, the Japan international shrugged off Marc Guéhi and left him in a heap on the deck before slotting beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post.

Playing with confidence, Emersonn worked space before shooting wide from 25 yards, but the hosts took back control of proceedings with possession and territory.

The first sight of goal for Haaland was snuffed out by Jacob Greaves, but the lethal striker only needed one more opportunity a minute later to strike in familiar fashion.

Mateo Kovačić, one of six changes that Enzo Maresca made from Wednesday’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, evaded a sliding challenge from Florentino Luís and picked out a cross into the box.

Haaland was the man arriving, evading his defender to pounce and head home for an eighth successive City match to restore his side’s lead.

Captain Dias felt in the mood for an unlikely goal and went for glory again before half-time, with Walton once again equal to his effort to keep the Blues in the contest at the halfway mark.

SO CLOSE YET SO FAR

Just as in the first half, O’Neil’s side were competitive after the break, with Ouattara wasting a chance at the back post when he was found in space but sliced a left-footed strike out for a throw-in.

An even better chance then saw Emersonn meet a Leif Davis corner, but the Brazilian striker let this golden opportunity go begging when he headed wide when he ought to have at least tested Donnarumma.

City similarly went close from a corner almost instantly, O’Reilly rising highest to meet Foden’s corner but falling wide of the far post with Walton stranded.

Town’s game plan was clearly to look to cause a threat on the break, with Emersonn again at the heart of their next attempt when he drove forward with few options around him and eventually fired over the top of the crossbar.

But with just over 20 minutes to go, Maresca’s men got the cushion their supporters would have been craving to put the game beyond the reach of the unfortunate Blues.

Iliman Ndiaye fed a perfect ball through for the clinical and inevitable Haaland to latch onto, winning the physical duel with Ouattara before calmly placing the ball under the goalkeeper.

O’Neil introduced Azor Matusiwa for his Premier League debut, which looked certain to come in defeat as City struck again with five minutes to go, only to be denied by VAR.

With three chances to score, Enzo Fernández had a close-range effort saved, Ndiaye slammed onto the crossbar, then Haaland volleyed in for what he thought was his hat-trick.

The technology had a second look, though, and ruled that Fernández was in an offside position before crossing for the Norwegian.

VAR got involved again as the clock ran down to award Town a penalty, with referee Farai Hallam overturning his decision at the screen after Guéhi had clipped substitute Abdul Fatawu in the box.

Flemming did the business down the middle from the spot as the Blues scored yet another goal in the 90th minute, but could not grab another during 12 minutes of stoppage time.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes (Khusanov 76), Dias (c), Guéhi, O’Reilly (Gvardiol 61); Bouaddi, Kovačić (Fernández 50); Ndiaye, Foden (Anderson 76), Doku (Semenyo 76); Haaland. Subs: Rulli, Cherki, Aït-Nouri, Allan.

Booked: Gvardiol.

Ipswich Town (3-4-2-1): Walton; O’Shea (c), Diop, Greaves (Clarke 90); Ouattara, Florentino (Matusiwa 71), Palacios, Davis; Maeda (Fatawu 71), Enciso (Akpom 77); Emersonn (Flemming 77). Subs: Scherpen, Furlong, Kipré, Philogene.

Booked: Ouattara, Davis.

Referee: Farai Hallam (Surrey).

Attendance: 60,817

Suffolk News Man of the Match – Daizen Maeda: Town’s Japanese summer signing was good value for his first goal in English football, and it was a welcome reward for another afternoon of relentless work rate both on and off the ball. The hope is that it kickstarts a run of more consistent attacking end product.